Being a food manufacturer is tricky these days. These companies need to use the cheapest possible ingredients to maintain their profit margins, but what they put into the product goes under intense scrutiny by today’s health-conscious consumers.

Problem is, healthy ingredients are expensive. Taboo ingredients, such as partially hydrogenated oils and saturated fats, are cheap. So how does the manufacturer handle these tricky situations?

They pass the tricks onto the consumer, of course!

So every time we shop, we have to be vigilant about what we’re getting, because there’s always someone trying to pull one over on us. That’s why I compiled a list of tricks that most companies play on us:

Trick #1: “0 grams” of Unhealthy Ingredients

The trick: Foods are labeled as containing “0g trans fat” or “0g saturated fat” per serving.

Unfortunately, “0″ does not mean 0. It actually means “up to 0.5″ grams per serving. So if you consume two servings of some “0g trans fats” snacks, you could be ingesting up to 1g of trans fats. (And no one eats just one or two servings…)

Heck, even the words “fat free” on the label allow up to 0.5g fat per serving.

How to spot it: Foods that are actually healthy don’t need to bother claiming “0g trans fats.” So if you see a bag of chips with a big “0g trans fats” badge right on front, they are probably pulling this trick.

Worst offender: Frito Lay snacks, such as Cheetos. Frito Lay takes pride in the fact that they were the first major food company to remove trans fats from their snack chips, and I applaud them for taking the initiative, but it doesn’t mean their snacks are healthy.

What to do: Skip past the Nutrition Facts label and peruse the ingredients. If the ingredients list contains any type of hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated soybean oil for instance, then the product contains trans fats, no matter how big the “0g trans fats” badge is.

Note: This is a 10 page article. Click the page links below to continue reading!

I try to give out plenty of recommendations on what to eat (What To Eat Before and After a Ride, Banana Smoothie Recipe, Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Recipe, etc.), but everyone wants to know more…

What to eat healthy daily? i was wonderin whats very healthy to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and also if you get a lil hungry in between what are some good snacks… the reason why i ask this is cause i’m tryin to work out my body. i am not fat one bit i’m fit i just wanna know what to eat to keep my body healthy.

Thanks,
Eating Erin

Hi Erin,

There are so many good foods out there I can’t list them all, but I’ll give you an idea of something I might eat on a typical day.

Breakfast

My two mainstays at breakfast time are oatmeal and whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter. Both are healthy choices that provide you with energy for the day. You can adjust proportions to your needs, but I typically have a huge bowl of oatmeal or two sandwiches, each loaded with a thick slab of peanut butter.

Another good option would be an omelet, which is a great way to get tons of nutrients from fresh eggs and veggies.

When I don’t need as many calories, I like to have a bowl of plain yogurt and fruit (such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.)

To round out my breakfast, I may also have an orange, apple, or banana. If I don’t have one with breakfast, I’ll have one as a mid-morning snack. I may also have a handful of walnuts or almonds, too.

For a beverage, green tea.

Lunch

One of my favorite lunches is a chicken sandwich. My usual consists of a sprouted grain bun with a few slices of chicken breast, then some sort of vegetable topping. My favorite add-ons are basil pesto and avocado slices, but you can also stick with lettuce, onions, green peppers, olives, and/or cheese.

If I was going out, I’d probably grab a $5 footlong from Subway; either turkey breast or sweet onion chicken teriyaki.

After lunch is another chance to snack on fresh fruit (apples, pears, peaches, etc.) and raw veggies such as carrot sticks and chunks of cauliflower (which won’t be as noticeable in your teeth as broccoli.)

Dinner

If I haven’t had one yet, it’s time for a large salad or vegetable stir-fry.

For the salad, we’re talking a large plate piled high with hearty lettuce, spinach, cucumber, carrots, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and whatever else is fresh. If I put anything on top of that, it’s olive oil.

For the stir-fry, I put a couple pounds of vegetables in a pan and stir-fry them. I add fresh onion and garlic for flavor, along with plenty of spices. This makes 2-3 large plates full of vegetables. When finished cooking, I douse them in olive oil.

Then I’ll have to find something for an evening snack. This could be a glass of milk with whey protein powder, apple slices covered in peanut butter and raisins, a hamburger made with quality meat, a glass of Barlean’s Greens, or whatever else I can find.

And that’s just what was on my mind! Things change year-round as I try new things and find whatever fruit and veggies are in-season.

If you want some more advice on great meals, I have to recommend the Precision Nutrition system and gourmet cookbooks. The whole package (nutrition guides and cookbooks) will set you back almost $100 (or even $150 if they raised the price,) but if you just want the cookbook for meal ideas, you can find Gourmet Nutrition for $40 or so.

While certainly not cheap, it’s a great way to get healthy meal ideas if you’re totally lost in the kitchen!

Oatmeal is great. It provides a healthy dose of carbohydrates for energy, and unlike most carb-heavy meals, oats fill you up. Simply put, oatmeal is just about the perfect breakfast.

My “go to” oatmeal is cinnamon raisin, but there are many other ways to flavor your oatmeal. Just grab your favorite rolled or steel cut oats and some flavorings…

1. Honey

If you do need to add a sweetener to your oatmeal, try adding honey instead of plain white sugar. It’s healthier and more flavorful, but don’t go overboard – it’s still high in calories.

2. Flax seed

To add a nutty flavor and a light crunch to your oatmeal, sprinkle some ground flax seed (i.e. flax meal) on top. I usually do this after the oatmeal is cooked.

This also adds some important Omega-3 fatty acids to your cereal.

3. Chopped nuts

If you want a real nutty flavor and like big chunks, add some chopped nuts to your oatmeal. Walnuts are healthy and easy to chop, but you can also try almonds, pecans, and macadamia nuts.

4. Brown sugar and cinnamon

Brown sugar and cinnamon is a classic flavor combination, and it works great with oatmeal.

(Brown sugar isn’t exactly healthy, but you shouldn’t need to use very much.)

5. Cinnamon and raisin

As mentioned, the cinnamon raisin combination is my personal favorite oatmeal flavor. It’s very flavorful and it’s still sweet without any sugar, thanks to the raisins.

6. Maple syrup

Another unprocessed sweetener with a unique flavor is maple syrup. As with honey, go easy – maple syrup is still loaded with sugar.

7. Apple cinnamon

Peel an apple, slice it up into little chunks, and add it to your oatmeal. Sprinkle some cinnamon in there and you have a delicious flavor.

If you don’t like chunks, add applesauce instead. Or try some apple butter for a more robust flavor.

8. Berries

You can add all sorts of berries to your oatmeal. Fresh picked berries are the best, but frozen berries will work, too. Look for blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.

9. Tropical fruit

Add coconut flakes, pineapple chunks, and mango slices to your oatmeal for a tropical breakfast.

10. Banana

I love to slice up a banana and add it to my oatmeal. You can do plain banana, or add banana to your cinnamon raisin oatmeal, which is delicious!

Banana chips may work, but I’ve never tried, because they’re pretty hard.

11. Chocolate peanut butter

If you’re not one for fruit flavors, add some cocoa powder and natural peanut butter to your oats. This will give you a chocolate peanut butter flavor, and it should taste quite a bit like a “no bake” cookie.

12. Wheat germ

To add a little crunch to your oatmeal without overpowering the existing flavor, sprinkle some wheat germ on top.

13. Dates

Like raisins, dates are a sweet little fruit that go well in oatmeal. A popular mix is to combine raisins, dates, and walnuts.

14. Sea salt

If you like to mix things up and do some “sweet and salty” type flavors, you could add a little sea salt to your oatmeal. I recommend a brand like Real Salt which is unprocessed and contains trace minerals, plus a good flavor.

15. Peanut butter banana

While I’m more likely to make a peanut butter banana sandwich or smoothie, the combo works in oatmeal just as well.

16. Cranberries

Dried cranberries have a sweet and tart flavor. They are good alone, but I think they’re even better when combined with banana slices and raisins.

17. Vanilla

Vanilla is a great flavor, and you can easily add some vanilla extract to your oatmeal for a boost in sweetness and flavor.

Vanilla goes well with bananas, chopped walnuts, and other additives.

There you have it – 17 different options (even more if you combine some.) That should spice up your breakfast for a while!

(Yes, you can buy pre-mixed oatmeal packets that are already flavored, but those don’t amount to much more than large sugar packets.)

Photo credit: thebittenword.com

A common belief amongst endurance athletes is that we must constantly replenish our electrolyte stores while riding. If we run low on electrolytes, we might face problems such as cramping and hyponatremia.

Naturally, you might choose a sports drink such as Gatorade, but what if you don’t need the calories? Or maybe you don’t like the sweet, strong flavor?

You might want to look at ways to get your electrolytes without consuming typical sports drinks. Here are nine products that could fit your needs:

1. Hammer Endurolytes

Endurolytes, a product from Hammer Nutrition, are capsules full of electrolytes. They contain sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, Vitamin B6, and L-Tyrosine.

You can get Endurolytes in pill form, but if you don’t fancy swallowing pills while riding, you can also get a straight Enduroyte powder that can be mixed in with a bottle of sports drink (or plain water, but the salty taste isn’t pleasant.)

Official website: www.HammerNutrition.com
My review: Hammer Endurolytes Review

 

2. NUUN tablets

Nuun tablets must be the coolest electrolyte drink available. A Nuun tablet contains sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, so it has the typical electrolytes, but that’s not all.

What’s really cool is that to mix Nuun, you just drop one tablet into your water bottle. Nuun effervesces (i.e. fizzes up) and mixes itself. Also, Nuun comes in a variety of flavors that actually taste good.

Official website: www.Nuun.com
My review: Nuun Tablets Review

 

3. Elete

Elete is a concentrated electrolyte liquid that contains sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride. It is flavorless, so it can be mixed in plain water without a problem.

If you like the crisp taste of plain water and don’t want any calories or artificial ingredients, Elete is the choice for you.

Official website: www.EleteWater.com

 

4. Ultima Replenisher

Ultima Replenisher is an electrolyte drink mix that is packed with vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes. It appears to have the best variety of ingredients, making it somewhat of a cross between an electrolyte drink and a multivitamin.

It is also low in sugar and contains no artificial ingredients.

Official website: www.UltimaReplenisher.com

 

5. Essential Electrolytes by NutriBiotic

Essential Electrolytes are pills that combine 100 mg of vitamin C along with electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, zinc, and chromium.)

These pills are very similar to Hammer Endurolytes (similar amounts of the same ingredients,) except these are half the price.

Official website: www.NutriBiotic.com

 

6. Hylytes

Hylytes are electrolyte replenishment capsules which contain sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and L-Tyrosine.

These appear very similar to Hammer Endurolytes, but with lower levels of electrolytes. (And at $9.95 for 24 capsules, they are more than twice as expensive, so I can’t imagine why you’d buy these.)

Official website: www.Hylytes.com

 

7. CamelBak Elixir tablets

To circumvent the problem of sugary sports drinks causing mold growth in hydration packs, CamelBak decided to make their own drink tablets that are safe for use in hydration pack bladders.

Much like Nuun, these Elixir tabs come in different flavors and contain a variety of electrolytes. And yes, they effervesce when you add them to water, so there’s no mixing required.

Official website: www.Camelbak.com

 

8. E-Lyte

E-Lyte is a bottled drink consisting of potassium, sodium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, bicarbonate, and sulfate in a purified water solution. It is concentrated, so you mix a small amount of this into your water bottle.

It sounds most similar to Elete.

Official website: www.CrampNoMore.com

 

9. ZYM Tablets

ZYM is another electrolyte tablet that dissolves in water, much like Nuun and Camelbak Elixir. ZYM contains Vitamin C, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and B vitamins (B5, B6, B12.)

ZYM also offers a line of tablets containing caffeine.

Official website: www.GoZYM.com

 

Try one of those drinks or pills at the right time and you’ll feel refreshed, without the extra calories!

While most energy gels are practically the same thing, there are subtle differences with each one. Here is a quick comparison chart that shows nutrition facts from the top ten most popular energy gels:

	Serving Size	Calories	Carbs	Protein	Sodium	Potassium	Caffeine	Price
Accel Gel	41g	100	20g	5g	100mg	50mg	0	$1.67
GU	32g	100	25g	0	55mg	45mg	Yes	$1.35
Power Gel	42g	110	27g	0	200mg	20mg	0	$1.25
Clif Shot	32g	100	25g	0	40mg	30mg	0	$1.00
Hammer Gel	36g	90	23g	0	25mg	n/a	0	$1.25
Honey Stinger	37g	120	29g	0	50mg	85mg	0	$1.25
Carb Boom!	41g	110	27g	0	50mg	50mg	0	$1.25
Sharkies Chews	45g	140	36g	0	110mg	30mg	0	$1.50
Enervit	25ml (24g)	71	18g	0	n/a	n/a	0	$1.89
e-Gel	55g	150	37g	0	220mg	80mg	0	$1.49

* Figures come from company websites as of 7/1/09. Values based on the vanilla flavor. (Except Honey Stinger, which is based on “Gold” flavor, and Sharkies, which is based on “Citrus.”)

You can find more information at the respective company websites:

• Accel Gel by Accelerade
• GU Gel by GU Sports
• Power Gel by PowerBar
• Clif Shot Gel by Clif Bar
• Hammer Gel by Hammer Nutrition
• Honey Stinger Gel
• Carb BOOM Gel
• Sharkies Fruit Chews
• Enervit Gel by Enervitine
• eGel by Crank Sports

I encourage you to visit these websites and check out the flavors, ingredients, and other information before buying. This was just a quick comparison chart; there is much more research to do.

Also note that most figures in the chart will apply to all flavors in the line of gels, but not always. Take caffeine for example. Most gels do offer some flavors with caffeine, even if the vanilla flavor (listed here) has no added caffeine.

Also, while most gels use maltodextrin and dextrose for the sugar, one gel listed here actually contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. Always read the ingredients before making a purchase!

Want my opinion on the gels?

See my reviews:

• Clif Shot Gel Review (coming soon)
• GU Gel Review (coming soon)
• Hammer Gel Review (coming soon)